A Veterinarian's Friend

There's lots to be said for country living - fresh air, wide open spaces, little congestion (we occasionally experience rush minutes vs. rush hours in the nearby village), and we're surrounded by plenty of nature. The density of humans can likely be counted on 2 hands per square mile whereas the density of other living creatures would be many times that of humans.

And so we do encounter wildlife on a regular basis. Today we encountered what might be known as the bane of dog owners, or the friend of veterinarians, depending on what side of the credit card you're on. I'm talking here about your docile porcupine.

In our family we all have had experience with our dogs meeting up with one of these prickly creatures and some experiences have resulted in quite costly vet bills. You would think that after such an experience our dogs would learn to avoid porcupines ... think again - some of them have had 4 encounters and they've always ended up on the wrong side of them.

After my wife spotted this one ambling along in front of the house, I dashed after it camera in hand (to say 'ran after it' would be a stretch since they move along at a steady rate that shows complete confidence in their 'armour'). As I got closer to it you can see that its hackles were raised - not that I needed a warning. I eventually lost it in the woods.

I'm happy to report that no dogs, or porcupines, were injured in the making of these photos.

A return to déjà vu

I've been keeping an eye on this spot. I've driven by it many times over the years and this year I wanted to make sure I captured it before it faded away into the barrenness of winter. I captured this scene about 5 years ago and was fortunate to have it featured on Scott Law's blog (if you haven't seen his work you should).

I'm completely in agreement with Lee Maynard: "I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it." [Lee Maynard]

And to describe this season I find it best to leave it up to the poets:
No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one Autumnal face. [John Donne]

The world through rose-coloured glasses

First off, a Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow bloggers here in Canada. May we never take for granted all that we're blessed with in this great country.

Today I had the opportunity to see first hand what the world might look like when seen through rose-coloured glasses. A few of us went for a walk down a small dirt road which wanders through the woods just a few miles from our home. As I was remarking on the fall colours (first photo), one of my daughters suggested I look at them through her sunglasses. After recovering from optic overload I decided to shoot the same scene through her sunglasses (second photo).

(both photos made with an 18-55mm lens at f8.0, ISO200 and shutter speeds of 1/50 and 1/25 sec respectively)

Savour the season

"Come said the wind to
the leaves one day,
Come o'er the meadows
and we will play.
Put on your dresses
scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone
and the days grow cold."
(A Childrens' Song of the 1880's)

"A tangerine and russet cascade
Of kaleidoscopic leaves
Creates a tapestry of autumn magic
Upon the emerald carpet of fading summer."
(Judith A. Lindberg, Shades of Autumn)

You might want to listen to this while you view the photos ...

click on images for a better view

Miles from nowhere

"Miles from nowhere
I guess I'll take my time
Oh yeah, to reach there ...

Miles from nowhere
Not a soul in sight
Oh yeah, but it's alright"

Cat Stevens, Tea For The Tillerman, 1970

(10-22mm  f8.0  20 sec  ISO200) 

Country evening

Although it missed Florida, we got out of Irene's path and made it back to a more temperate climate this week. Our hopes are that at worst Irene's fury will be spent at sea and that the eastern seaboard will be spared significant damage.

In contrast to the wild images coming out of the Bahamas, Sasha and I went out for a short ride last evening in the tranquility of the countryside near our home.

(all shots made with a 10-22mm lens, at either f11 or f14, ISO200, and shutter speeds ranging from 1/2 to 6 seconds)

(Day 293) Out in the country

Some of you may remember a song by Three Dog Night from 1970 by this name. I think it pretty much sums up what I feel about living in the country. Now I realize it`s not for everyone, and not everyone is able to, for many reasons. But I think almost everyone enjoys a drive or a walk or a  picnic out in the country.

We put many kilometres on our legs just walking along the country road by our place, the scene of today`s photo. And even our dog Sasha, who has 77 acres to roam around on, gets all excited when we say the word `walk`(we have to spell it if we`re not ready). She would rather be on a leash walking along the road than running freely on our land - go figure.

If you haven`t been able to get your fix of country today, maybe the song and photo will help. Enjoy.

(10-22mm  f7.1  1é30 sec  ISO200)